Former Goa RSS chief goes 'absconding' after FIR over remarks on St Francis Xavier
Panaji: Goa Police have stated that Subhash Velingkar, the former Goa unit chief of the RSS, is currently "absconding" after an FIR was registered against him for his remarks on St Francis Xavier, triggering widespread protests across the state. Raids are being conducted to trace his whereabouts.
The FIR was lodged at North Goa’s Bicholim police station on Friday night based on a complaint filed by AAP MLA Cruz Silva. According to the FIR, the accused, with "malicious intentions," made a speech that allegedly outraged the religious feelings and insulted the beliefs of the complainant, his religious community, and others.
Following Velingkar’s statement calling for a "DNA test" of the relics of St Francis Xavier, revered as the patron saint of Goa, at least half a dozen complaints were filed against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and disrupting communal harmony. The FIR has been registered under section 299 of BNS (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
Protests erupted on Friday, with over 300 people, including leaders from Congress and AAP, gathering outside the police station in Margao, demanding Velingkar's arrest. On Saturday, protesters blocked roads in Margao, Anjuna, and Old Goa, prompting the police to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. The protesters issued an ultimatum, threatening to block the Zuari Bridge if the accused is not arrested soon.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant appealed for calm and urged people not to block roads. “Whatever action was taken [in the case] against Fr Bolmax [Pereira], similar action will be applied for Velingkar,” said Sawant.
Fr Bolmax Pereira, the parish priest of St Francis Xavier Church, Chicalim, was booked last year for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during a sermon.
The Congress party released a statement emphasising the importance of maintaining Goa’s unique identity of communal harmony and urged the government to preserve this "sensitive fabric" of peace and respect. BJP Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo also criticised Velingkar, stating, “St Francis Xavier is a saint revered by people from all religions. People like Velingkar make such statements just to gain limelight and create rifts between communities.”
Velingkar was previously removed from the RSS in 2016. As of now, the police are continuing their efforts to locate him.Former Goa RSS chief goes 'absconding' after FIR over remarks on St Francis Xavier
Panaji: Goa Police have stated that Subhash Velingkar, the former Goa unit chief of the RSS, is currently "absconding" after an FIR was registered against him for his remarks on St Francis Xavier, triggering widespread protests across the state. Raids are being conducted to trace his whereabouts.
The FIR was lodged at North Goa’s Bicholim police station on Friday night based on a complaint filed by AAP MLA Cruz Silva. According to the FIR, the accused, with "malicious intentions," made a speech that allegedly outraged the religious feelings and insulted the beliefs of the complainant, his religious community, and others.
Following Velingkar’s statement calling for a "DNA test" of the relics of St Francis Xavier, revered as the patron saint of Goa, at least half a dozen complaints were filed against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and disrupting communal harmony. The FIR has been registered under section 299 of BNS (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
Protests erupted on Friday, with over 300 people, including leaders from Congress and AAP, gathering outside the police station in Margao, demanding Velingkar's arrest. On Saturday, protesters blocked roads in Margao, Anjuna, and Old Goa, prompting the police to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. The protesters issued an ultimatum, threatening to block the Zuari Bridge if the accused is not arrested soon.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant appealed for calm and urged people not to block roads. “Whatever action was taken [in the case] against Fr Bolmax [Pereira], similar action will be applied for Velingkar,” said Sawant.
Fr Bolmax Pereira, the parish priest of St Francis Xavier Church, Chicalim, was booked last year for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during a sermon.
The Congress party released a statement emphasising the importance of maintaining Goa’s unique identity of communal harmony and urged the government to preserve this "sensitive fabric" of peace and respect. BJP Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo also criticised Velingkar, stating, “St Francis Xavier is a saint revered by people from all religions. People like Velingkar make such statements just to gain limelight and create rifts between communities.”
Velingkar was previously removed from the RSS in 2016. As of now, the police are continuing their efforts to locate him.
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'Go back to your own country': Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in Dublin
London, Aug 5 (PTI): An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault.
Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin.
Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: "Go back to your own country".
"In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen," Singh told ‘Dublin Live’.
"I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared," he said.
A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening.
"Gardaí are investigating an assault reported to have occurred in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11 at approximately 11:45 pm on Friday, 1st August 2025. A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to Beaumont Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injury. Investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson said.
The incident followed an Indian Embassy advisory, also issued on Friday, expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions.
"There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,” states the advisory.
“The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned in Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours," the statement reads, adding emergency embassy contact details as 0899423734 and cons.dublin@mea.gov.in.
It came in the wake of a brutal attack on a 40-year-old Indian man at Parkhill Road in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on July 19, described as “mindless, racist violence” by locals.
The Gardai had opened an investigation into the case and Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was among those who took to social media to express shock over the attack.
“Regarding the recent incident of physical attack on an Indian national that happened in Tallaght, Dublin, the embassy is in touch with the victim and his family. All the requisite assistance is being offered. The embassy is also in touch with the relevant Irish authorities in this regard,” the embassy said in a social media post days after the incident.
A Stand Against Racism protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a "vicious racist attack" and to express solidarity with migrants.
Last week, Dr Santosh Yadav took to LinkedIn to post details of a “brutal, unprovoked racist attack”.
The entrepreneur and AI expert stressed that it was not an isolated incident and called for “concrete measures” from the governments of Ireland and India to ensure Indians feel safe to walk the streets of Dublin.
His post revealed that a group of six teenagers attacked him from behind as he walked to his apartment in Dublin.
“This is not an isolated incident. Racist attacks on Indian men and other minorities are surging across Dublin — on buses, in housing estates, and on public streets. Yet, the government is silent. There is no action being taken against these perpetrators. They run free and are emboldened to attack again,” reads Yadav's post.
Fine Gael party Councillor for Tallaght South, Baby Pereppadan, was among those who expressed concern following last month’s attack.
“People need to understand that many Indian people moving to Ireland are here on work permits, to study and work in the healthcare sector or in IT and so on, providing critical skills,” he said.
Another violent anti-Indian attack in Ireland
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) August 5, 2025
Taxi driver Lakhvir Singh was attacked with glass bottles while doing his job pic.twitter.com/mtkwhLWISx
